Trouble in Paradise

The 1st novel I read of hers was "Not All Tarts Are Apple". Granger just has this certain 'way' of really pulling the reader into the novel. It's told from Zelda's point of view. Set in London amidst WWII, Granger intricately weaves us a tale of family & neighbors within the quaint, zany community of Paradise Gardens. Everyone is in everyone else's business & there's never a dull moment within the confines of Paradise Gardens. Lol, I am learning so much about UK/London dialect from reading her novels! This is a charming novel that preceeds the story from "..Tarts..".

Most English are euphoric and celebrated the victory ending World War II. However, Zelda feels the war was a time of personal freedom and safety even when the Blitz terrorized much of the country. Her friend Dilly assumes that Zeld seems depressed because she never felt the impact of war since her Paradise Garden was untouched. Zeld knows that the Hitler's throwing in the towel means her violent spouse Charlie is returning to abuse her. The return of the vets impacts the workplace. New bosses place unreasonable demands on the "temporary" female replacement employees and returning soldiers are displacing women on the job. Thugs battle to take control of gangs with bystanders like Zeld's nephew Tony pulled to join or else. Healer Zinnia Makepeace obtaining singing lessons for Tony in Soho enables Zeld to meet Bert and Maggie Featherby. They provide an opportunity to escape her miserable life if she is courageous enough to leave Charlie. This is a terrific prequel to the fabulous NOT ALL TARTS ARE APPLE as Pip Granger paints quite a different panorama than the normal upbeat England of 1946. The story line uses the characters to provide insight as the war years simply are pushed aside by those who believe a return to normalcy ignores that women proved that they were the greatest generation; Like World War I did for third world people under European rule, World War II did for women; the legacy is their daughters and younger sisters becoming Supreme Court Justices and Prime Ministers. TROUBLE IN PARADISE is a pip of a historical character study that will have fans searching for more works by Ms. Granger. Harriet Klausner